Eyes in the Shadows

Posted on Sun May 10th, 2015 @ 3:29pm by Captain Tim Williams

Episode: Orphans
Location: Dreyas Four
Timeline: MD30 - 1130hrs

Doctor Kotan Entek, brilliant scientist, former member of the Obisidian Order, and fugitive from his own people, watched quietly and patiently from the edge of the clearing that the Starfleet personnel had decided to begin the foundations for their new colony, hidden from their sensors by the Order's sophisticated personal dampening field technology, and hidden from view by the holosuit he wore, which perfectly rendered him invisible to even the most acute observer.

The Starfleet officers had already beamed up their civilian settlers, and had set a perimeter of their own security teams around the sight. Entek glanced over towards a pair of them nearby. He had almost been discovered the night before when one of his creatures had come looking for him whilst he was observing the Starfleet personnel. The phaser blast they had shot towards the shadow of the creature had just barely missed his head, but had at least given his creation a reason to flee. Entek himself had retreated to his lab to double check that his suit's equipment hadn't been damaged by the close call, before returning to the site again this morning to observer Starfleet further.

His scanners had already detected the arrival of a Cardassian vessel in orbit, so it was of no surprise to him when he saw a fresh contingent of Starfleet officers beam down - including a command officer with the rank pips of a Lieutenant Commander - followed shortly by a small group of Cardassian officers. Clearly the military had been able to catch up to him once again, but had been restricted by the planet's location within Federation space - and the unlucky circumstance of a Starfleet vessel already in orbit - and been forced into cooperating by the Federation Captain. That would make surviving much easier, as the Gul would not be able to resort to methods which would likely be far more blunt than those Starfleet would allow, but it could cause issues for Entek's continued hidden presence; Starfleet engineers were renowned for their technical prowess, and he held no illusions that they would eventually be able to find his lab, then his creations, and even eventually himself.

He was surprised to see the Cardassian officers each holding a second scanning device, however. Initially because it was clearly odd for them to carry two devices to perform the same function, but after running a quick scan himself, he realised that these second units had formerly belonged to the Obsidian Order, and were specially configured for locating the shielded bases that operatives used to retreat to whilst operating covertly; as the Order's members always did. The frequency his personal dampening field used would not be detected by such a device, but the much larger units shielding his laboratory from scans would be. It would not take them long to locate it. It was surprising to him that the military had been able to obtain these devices, and wondered what other former possessions and secrets of the Order were now in the hands of others. Even more surprising was that the military would be willing to share the existence of these scanners with Starfleet - even if they didn't trust them enough to allow them direct access.

Reaching to the control panel on his arm, his suit's visor allowed him to see through the holographic field it emitted, and tap in a few commands to signal his laboratory's systems. The few creations of his that were within the lab were released, and imprinted with a command to get as far from the lab as they could until they were called for, and his personal shuttle in the hangar activated its cloaking device. There would be no way for him to get to the ship and escape in time with Starfleet closing in on him - at least not yet - but the stolen Romulan device should at least keep the ship hidden from prying eyes should they get into his lab.

As the Starfleet and Cardassian officers moved off, Entek watched for a few moments to see which directions they were heading in, before following the team which was heading closest to his lab. The team looked to be made up of the most junior officers from both camps, and appeared to be led by a Starfleet non-comm. Nevertheless, they had one of the scanning devices, and would surely pick up a signal from his lab before long.

-Dreyas Four - Hidden Lab
-MD30 - 1230hrs

The Starfleet and Cardassian officers had been able to locate his lab relatively quickly, and within an hour they had managed to locate it and gain entry, leaving a set of security officers outside. Not willing to risk entering with them - they could afterall still bump into him in such a small place - Entek took up position outside, with a clear view to the entrance and the security guards that stood either side of it. Aside from a brief appearance by two of the yellow-shirted officers - the non-comm he had initially followed and a man who appeared to have several cybernetic components within his body - likely as a result of an assimilation and rescue from the Borg, though many had since been replaced with Federation-made components to try and return the officer to his former likeness - the intruders to his lab had all remained secluded inside.

The officer with the cybernetics intrigued him. Most people who had been recovered from the Collective retained only minor implants - replacement eyes, cortical implants, assimilation tubes and the like; components that the Borg had removed the organic components to fit or that had become an integral part of the individual's bodies. This officer seemed to have been forced to lose far more of his organic body than most, and the scans his suit had managed to obtain during his brief appearance indicated that his entire lower body had been replaced with cybernetics. Clearly the Borg had turned him into some form of higher drone; perhaps designed to be more lethal than the standard drones. An assault drone, perhaps? Perhaps they could have broken from their all-as-one tradition and turned him into some form of General drone, to lead attacks? Either way, the cybernetics were interesting, and could very likely be included in Entek's design for his own perfect shock trooper.... if he got the chance, he would love to spend some more time studying this officer up close.

Eventually, the doors to his lab opened once again, and a group emerged. Not the entire group - the former Borg was not with them, nor one of the Cardassian officers or the non-comm. The command officer spoke for a few moments into his combadge, giving his captain updates on their progress. Then they were beamed up to their ship; the Starfleet officers in a blue haze, and the remaining Cardassians in an orange effect. Two Starfleet security officers were left guarding the entrance. If the situation remained as it was, this could be Entek's best chance to get inside, and get to his ship. But to act hastily could backfire. He needed to wait a little longer before he made his move.